


The Demon Hunter

by undeadmoonrabbit



Category: Seven Circles (ALCA)
Genre: (Corruption is very mild but it falls under the umbrealla I guess), Conversion, Corruption, F/F, Gen, Gift Fic, Religion, Succubi & Incubi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23595802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undeadmoonrabbit/pseuds/undeadmoonrabbit
Summary: A demon hunter meets the goddess ALCA.(This was written as a gift for @Flailmorpho_ on Twitter)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	The Demon Hunter

The abbey was quiet. And, to all her senses, empty. It set Mari on edge. Mere minutes ago she had sensed an enormous spike of demonic energies coming from this building. There was no way this place would empty. There should be demons. The screams of victims. Bodies, at the very least. There was no sign of the _sisters_ , which should indicate that _something_ had happened, if nothing else. She didn’t want to think about what could have happened to them.

 _It’s a trap_.

It was the obvious conclusion. An obvious trap. Sighing under her breath, the demon hunter scanned the outside of the grounds once more, and, gun drawn and sword at the ready, took cautious steps into the one building she hadn’t explored: the church.

She had expected an ambush. She was not expecting to find an immense anthropomorphic purple lioness openly lounging languid on the altar. She wore a long black dress of what might be fine silk, sheer in places and with a shockingly low neckline that revealed the demon’s excellent cleavage. Her face bore a calm but somehow suggestive smile. It was the smile of something that had never once known fear. Despite its ease, there was something terrifying in that smile.

She was waiting for Mari.

Quickly, ever on the ball, Mari took stock of the situation. The sanctuary had been redecorated. In the place of its familiar iconography, she could see a sigil, shaped something like a stylized heart. She had seen this before - it was a sign succubi used in their magic. So this was a succubus, then. Which means she must absolutely not be allowed to speak. Not be allowed to seduce her with ensorcelled words.

She fired before the succubus could speak a word. With impossible alacrity, and without flinching or allowing her smile to even waver, the lioness snatched the bullet out of the air. She appeared to regard it thoughtfully for a second, before flicking it with her index finger. It vanished theatrically in a cloud of rose petals.

Mari fired twice more, but the demon wasn’t even there. Behind her! She wheeled around, and moved to draw her sword, but found that her sword was no longer in its scabbard. The demon had it, and was curiously examining its gleaming edge, her tail swishing gracefully.

“Where did you find something like this, darling?” she said, and her voice was disarming, and sensual, and yet reverberated in Mari’s mind. This close to her, and with the demon standing at her full height, Mari felt phenomenally dwarfed.

“Give, give that back!” she said. It sounded childish, even to her.

The demon laughed kindly. “Not if you’re going to run around attacking people with it. You’ve hardly been modeling responsible sword use, and with such a dangerous artifact. No. _Maybe_ some day I’ll give it back to you - if you’re a good girl.” She gestured gracefully with the sword, and it vanished. Gone to God-knows-where.

“I know what you are,” said Mari, backing away. Unmatched as she was, she was unwilling to give up. And yet, she should have known better than to trade words with a succubus. Perhaps the words _good girl_ had already burrowed into her mind, setting her off balance. Causing a part of her to think strange, forbidden thoughts… “What did you do with the nuns here, succubus?”

“Well, you’re half right,” the demon said, her smile widening, stepping forward as Mari stepped back. “I am ALCA, mother of all succubi. Goddess of lust. As for the nuns, they are quite well. They are in my domain, now. It was they who called me here, you know.”

“Liar!” Mari’s eyes darted frantically. Despite her words she did not doubt that what ALCA said was true. There was very little she could do, against a god. “Stay away!” ALCA did, allowing her to back up.

“Of course, my sweet. I would never do anything to you, until you ask me.” _And you WILL ask me_ , seemed to be the unspoken implication. Mari’s eyes fixed on the door out, past where ALCA was now standing, hand on her hip, looking thoroughly seductive. She bit her lower lip in thought. “You are, of course, free to leave as well,” ALCA continued. “But wouldn’t you rather talk? You’re a darling girl, Mari, and terribly misused. There is so much that I could give you.”

Mari was thrown by this. She hadn’t expected a demon to let her go – to show restraint. To concern herself for her own desires.

The sweet-talking complements were getting to her, too. She couldn’t help but wonder what depraved pleasures she could find in such a creature’s service…

“You offer _sin_ ,” she said. “Debauchery.. filth. Misery disguised as pleasure…”

“Do you really believe that? The demons of my circle know the true joy of intimate pleasure. Sensation and mutual understanding. The strange twists of erotic imagination. Soft embraces, and hard sex. I offer _love_.”

“What do _you_ know about love?!”

“ _I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT LOVE_ ” For a second, ALCA’s voice was truly that of a god.

“No.. no, you’re wrong,” Mari managed. It was a struggle to get out the words. “That’s not love. Love is…” she trailed off.

“Love is what? Love is thoughtless obedience? Love is fear? Love is order and chanting and self-denial, until you die, and go on to chant praises to a tyrant for eternity? Tell me. If what I offer is _sin_ , than why is _sin_ so wicked?”

“It’s,” she answered doubtfully. “A sickness of the soul. Defiance of God’s plans..”

“A sickness that brings happiness, then? To you, and to others? Can you really look me in the eye, Mari and tell me that the feelings you had for sweet Samantha were a _sickness._ ”

“How dare you..” A fresh anger was welling up in her chest. “How dare you speak her name? After she-”

“She is with us, you know. One of our sisters. I told you. I know everything about love.”

Somehow, Mari could tell that this, too, was not a lie. “She’s a succubus?”

“No, she wanted to hold on to her humanity. For a time, anyway.” ALCA paced casually, careful not to break her word and draw any closer. “She told me once, that she was waiting for you. That she wanted to meet you again as the human you knew, all those years ago.” She smiled, a warmer, more genuine smile than Mari had seen before. “She’s very sweet.”

Mari sat down heavily at the foot of the alter. Despite herself, she too smiled sadly at the memory of her old friend. Her crush. Her definitely-not-girlfriend-because-that-would-be-wrong. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She felt her resistance melting. “Is… is she well?”

“She is well.”

“Good,” she said, wiping away her tears and smiling. “I’m so glad..”

“Would you like comfort?” ALCA asked, “or am I still meant to keep my distance.” Her voice was mirthful.

Mari nodded her head and bit her lip. “Could you just.. hug me?” Her voice was softer. ALCA paced over. Mari knew well that the god of lust could move like lightning, but now she was in no hurry. ALCA put her arms around her, pulling her into. Her body was surprisingly fluffy. Warm and comfortable. It didn’t feel anything like how she had imagined a demon’s embrace. It felt right.

She leaned in, throwing her arms around the lioness and crying openly.

It was a while before either of them spoke. It was Mari who broke the silence. “I can’t go back to the cult of pride,” she said. “Not after this. Would you.. would you take me with you?”

ALCA gave another of her smiles. “Of course, my sweet thing. Don’t worry. You’ll be safe. And nobody will make you do anything you don’t want.”

Mari smiled, the last bit of tension releasing itself from her chest. “And,” she said, a little plaintively, “can I have my sword back please?”


End file.
